Debug Registers on Intel x86 Processor Architecture (with or without VT-x)

Intel processor architectures provide debug facilities for use in debugging code and monitoring system behaviors. Such a debug support is accessed using debug registers (DR0 through DR7), and handled by a dedicated exception routine. 

Debug registers (Dr0~DR3) hold the addresses of memory and I/O locations called breakpoints. Breakpoints are user selected locations in a program, a data-storage area in memory, or specific I/O ports. They are set where a programmer or system designer wishes to halt execution of a program and examine the state of the processor by invoking debugger software. A debug exception (#DB, vector = 1) is generated when a memory or I/O access is made to a breakpoint address.